Queen Elisabeth Music Competition

Spring 2013 (32) - 1st June, 2013

At the origin of the competition, started in 1937, there were two personalities: Eugène Ysaye, one of the most talented Belgian violinists ever, and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium who supported, encouraged and defended artists generously during all of her life.The contest which takes place in Brussels, is alternatively open to young violinists, singers and pianists every three years.

The Queen

Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria (born Elisabeth Gabriele Valérie Marie, Duchess in Bavaria) (25 July 1876 – 23 November 1965) was Queen of the Belgians as the spouse of King Albert I. She was the mother of King Leopold III of Belgium and of Queen Marie José of Italy, and grandmother of kings Baudouin and Albert II of Belgium. She was the daughter of the Duke of Bavaria, Karl Theodor of Wittelsbach, and the niece and goddaughter of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (the so-called Sissi). In 1900, she married Belgian prince Albert I, who is crowned King in 1909. King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth protect and befriend artists and scientists. Elisabeth studies Egyptology and repeatedly travels to Egypt. She’s one of the first to visit the tomb of Tutankhamun and wants her country to play a role in the advancement of research in that field.

The Artist: Eugene Ysaye

Eugene Ysaye, a student of Rodolphe Massart, Wieniawski and Henri Vieuxtemps, Concertmeister at the Konzerthaus in Berlin, teaches at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and was appointed Kapellmeister of the Court, after experiencing the ups and downs of life as a musician in Paris-made glory and misery, accompanied by Duparc, Lalo, Fauré ... He went to the United States from 1917 to 1922 to head the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and on return, takes part in the creation of the Queen Elisabeth Music Foundation established in 1929, whose primary purpose is to promote music and the Belgian edition. Always keen to help young talents to gain easier access to the career of virtuoso Eugene Ysaye wants to expand the mission of the Foundation which will become an international violin competition. Eugene Ysaye died in 1935.

How it All Begun

At the origin of the contest, there were these two persons: Eugène Ysaye, one of the most talented violinists in Belgium, who had a musical dream, and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium who supported, encouraged and defended artists generously during all of her life. Wanting to help young virtuoso’s, Ysaye dreams of organizing an important contest. He talks about it to the Queen who welcomes the project warmly. The first "Concours Eugène Ysaye" takes place in 1937. Queen Elizabeth being very committed to the project, she instructed the Board of Directors of the Foundation to develop a project for the competition, according to director Eugene Ysaye’s ideas. On 12th May 1937, Belgium was endowed with an institution that would soon gain international recognition. In 1951, the name of the contest was changed into Queen Elisabeth Music Competition.

Arie Van Lysebeth

Organisation Every three years there is alternatively a competition for pianists, violinists and singers. There is also a contest for composers every two years, and the winning piece is compulsory for pianists or violinists. The QE Music Competition is sometimes referred to as an Olympiad of music, because of its demanding nature. It is composed of a pre-selection based on a dvd, a first round, a semifinale for 24 of the best contenders and a finale with twelve finalists. After the semifinales the musicians are isolated for a week in the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Waterloo. Final concerts are held in the Palace of fine Arts in Brussels (Palais des Beaux Arts – Paleis voor Schone Kunsten) and are broadcast live on public radio and television in Belgium, as well as in streaming on the website of the competition.

Marin Alsop

Michel Petrossian

The 2013 Edition Queen Fabiola is the patroness of the Contest these days, and her special prize is awarded to the first laureate. Arie Van Lysebeth is the fifth President of the Jury. The contest for singers was added in 1988 on behest of Gerard Mortier. The contest is a member of the “Fédération internationale des concours internationaux de musique”. This year, the pianists are performing under the baton of Marin Alsop, an American conductor and violinist, director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and conductor of the Sao Paolo State Symphony Orchestra. In the U.K., she served as principal conductor with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and with the City of London Sinfonia. She’s conducting the National Orchestra of Belgium for the second time, having been there in 2010 already. In 2013 she conducted the world premiere of “In the wake of Ea” by French composer Michel Petrossian. It was played by each one of the twelve finalists. On the final night, today 1st June 2013, Arie Van Lysebeth, the president of the jury, lauded the composer present at the concert. These are the names of the twelve finalists performing this week (in alphabetical order): Mateusz Borowiak, Tatiana Chernichka, David Fung, Remi Geniet, Boris Giltburg, Roope Gröndahl, Sean Kennard, Stanislav Khristenko, Sangyoung Kim, Yuntian Liu, Andrew Tyson, Zhang Zuo. The first one of the list was actually the last one to perform. Besides president Van Lysebeth, some of the the other members of the jury this year were: Diane Andersen, Peter Frankl, David Lively, Anne Queffelec, Staffan Scheja and Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden.

2013 finalists

National Orchestra of Belgium

A Few Impressions

I didn't have the opportunity to listen nor watch all week long, and so I have no right to a personal opinion about this year's finalists. I'm a layman in this field anyway, but I was fascinated by some of the comments of experts. I was enthralled by watching the performances, the skill, the mastery, the self-control, the fine taste, the sense of emotion, the intensity, the communication between the music, the pianist, the conductor, the orchestra, the audience. It was superb musical firework! I know, some friends abroad will gnash their teeth because the competition is held in Brussels. Brussels! A place the British media love to hate and put down. The competition has international renown, but Belgium-bashers will obviously laugh at us because it is "big in Belgium". In this case, my dear Anglo-Saxon and other friends, you are wrong, and these remarks are in poor taste. Small is beautiful and the Queen Elisabeth Musical Contest is great. Of course, since there now are about 750 music contests worldwide for piano alone, and three hundred this year alone, the relative importance of any contest is reduced. That sobering perspective should teach us some modesty.

The concert was also brought in a wonderful way to viewers at home with split screens -those aren't really necessary but they add to the variation- and close-ups on the hands of the pianists from various angles including above their head. This, however created a little problem. Playing in a large concert-hall is one thing - given to very few of us! Playing in a television studio or having a concert hall transformed in one is another matter altogether. The presenter mentioned that it was no less than thirty degrees centigrade around the piano. She added that this was above the normal maximum of 28 degrees, and that this high temperature could cause the piano to become unstable. She didn't mention the young finalists, but I can understand the profuse sweat breaking out on some of their heads now!

The very last concert of this year's edition by Mateusz Borowiak with the National Orchestra of Belgium is the Concerto Number 3 by Sergej Rachmaninov. The jury doesn't deliberate in this contest. Every member hands over his or her marks to a bailiff who adds them up and that's it. The result surprises jury members in some cases...